Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality will make his first start since winning the final leg of the Triple Crown when he faces five other horses in the 2021 Jim Dandy Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga Race Course. The Brad Cox trainee is the 1-2 morning-line favorite in the 2021 Jim Dandy Stakes odds. Post time is 5:39 p.m. ET. (Check out SportsLine's extensive horse racing coverage.)

Handicapping champion Jonathon Kinchen has studied the race and constructed his wagers in his analysis below. An analyst for Fox Sports' Saratoga Live and co-host of the In the Money Players' Podcast, Kinchen won the National Horseplayers Championship Tour in 2015, a demanding, yearlong series of handicapping events across the country. In November, he finished second out of 418 contestants in the prestigious Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, which earned him $215,000 in prize money. After factoring in his profit during the 14 Breeders' Cup races, he took home more than $366,000 on the day.

The main storyline entering Saturday's race is the return of Essential Quality. The 3-year-old son of Tapit has six wins in seven career starts. That one loss came in the Kentucky Derby, in which he was compromised by a troubled start and a wide trip and finished fourth.

He skipped the Preakness Stakes and returned to win the Belmont Stakes by a little more than a length over a game Hot Rod Charlie. Assuming Essential Quality comes out of the Jim Dandy Stakes healthy, the plan is to return on Aug. 28 for the most prestigious race for 3-year-olds outside of the Triple Crown, the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Kinchen has handicapped the 2021 Jim Dandy Stakes field, made his picks and constructed his bets.

We can tell you Kinchen is completely fading Keepmeinmind, even though he is one of the top favorites at 6-1 on the morning line. "The problem is that this horse does not like to have his picture taken; he has one win in nine starts," Kinchen told SportsLine. Kinchen is not using Keepmeinmind on any of his tickets.

However, Kinchen's top pick is a horse who will be "tough to beat" on Saturday! He also is high on another horse who "is trending in the right direction" and could pull off an upset. You NEED to see Kinchen's analysis before making any Jim Dandy Stakes picks of your own.

Kinchen is one of the nation's most successful and recognizable horseplayers. An analyst for Fox Sports' Saratoga Live and co-host of the In the Money Players' Podcast, Kinchen won the National Horseplayers Championship Tour in 2015, a demanding, yearlong series of handicapping events across the country. That same year, he became the only player in history to have both of his entries qualify for the final table of the National Horseplayers Championship.

In addition, Kinchen has scored huge on some of racing's biggest days. In November, he finished second out of 418 contestants in the prestigious Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge, which earned him $215,000 in prize money. After factoring in his profit during the 14 Breeders' Cup races, he took home more than $366,000 on the day!

It's no fluke, either. At the 2015 Kentucky Derby, he cashed for $150,000 after nailing the Pick 6 and a Pick 3 that paid $50,000.

So who wins the 2021 Jim Dandy Stakes? And how has Kinchen constructed his wagers? ... Join SportsLine now to get 2021 Jim Dandy Stakes picks and bets, all from an unmatched handicapping champion who won $366,000 in the 2020 Breeders' Cup and $150,000 on Derby Day in 2015!